Fifty years ago, acclaimed horror novelist Stephen King published his short story, The Boogeyman, in an issue of the magazine Cavalier, before it was reprinted in King’s anthology Night Shift in 1978. The story told the tale of a haunted man named Lester Billings, whose young children died under very suspicious circumstances. The only clue that Lester had to their fates was that his kids cried out “Boogeyman!” before he found their bodies.
In the newly released theatrical adaptation of The Boogeyman, Ant-Man and the Wasp‘s David Dastmalchian plays Lester Billings. However, the short story has been expanded on the big screen and Lester is no longer the primary character. Instead, the focus shifts to Lester’s psychiatrist, Will Harper (Chris Messina), and his two daughters: Sadie (as played by Yellowjackets‘ Sophie Thatcher) and Sawyer (who is portrayed by Vivien Lyra Blair, the young actress who played Leia in last year’s Obi-Wan Kenobi miniseries). It’s Sawyer who first believes that the Boogeyman is hiding under her bed. And she’s not wrong…
Marin Ireland also stars in the film as Rita Billings, with Madison Hu as Bethany, and Lisa Gay Hamilton as Dr. Weller. Rob Savage directed the film from a script by Scott Beck, Bryan Woods, and Mark Heyman. Beck and Woods also receive story credit for the script.
Now, it’s time to find out whether you can watch The Boogeyman from the comfort of your own home, preferably with the lights on.
Is The Boogeyman streaming?
No, not yet. Although this is somewhat ironic because The Boogeyman was originally intended to be released as a Hulu original film. However, Disney and 20th Century Studios were suitably impressed by the movie’s performance during test screenings and they decided to release The Boogeyman theatrically this summer as counterprogramming for some of the other blockbusters. The film is currently in its second week of release with $24.7 million to date in North America.
Will you be able to watch The Boogeyman at home?
Yes. The Boogeyman was made for Hulu, and Hulu is where it will go following the film’s theatrical release. Since The Boogeyman isn’t exactly lighting the box office on fire, it’s likely to have a very short run in theaters. Once it drops out of the top ten at the box office, The Boogeyman will probably be streaming soon after. It may even show up on Hulu as soon as the middle or the end of July.
Are there monsters hiding under my bed?
You’ll have to get back to us with the answer to that question. Sweet dreams!
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